FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has issued a sudden and controversial ban on mobile phones for lower-level staff at the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) and the Department of Land Administration, a directive sources link directly to the recent viral video of his heated altercation with a Naval officer.
An internal memo, effective today, forbids all officers on Salary Grade Level 14 and below from entering the office premises with their mobile phones.
The directive, issued by AGIS Management and signed by Head of AGIS Chijioke Nwankwoeze, explicitly states: “There shall be a ban on the use of mobile phones within the office premises for all officers on Salary Grade Level (SGL) 14 and below… affected staff are not permitted to enter the premises with their mobile phones henceforth.”
Sources within the agency claim the move is an act of retribution. “The minister was furious that the videos circulated among staff. He saw it as an act of sabotage. This phone ban is his way of showing anger,” an AGIS source told SaharaReporters.
The policy has already drawn sharp criticism, with labour activists condemning it as “primitive, draconian, and anti-labour,” suggesting it reflects an “intolerance for criticism and his penchant for authoritarian control.”
